Mine
by BubblegumPink18
Summary: After all, it's not like she fancied him. She knew that school relationships never lasted. That's why she never went out with any guys. Why set herself up for heartbreak? Fic inspired by "Mine" by Taylor Swift. Rated T, just in case.
1. Verse One

AN: This is one of my favorite ideas for a fanfic. I've seen some people do it before, but I'll be drawing it out into a chapter fic instead of a oneshot. Hope you like it! Please don't favorite without reviewing. It makes my day when people review, so if you like it, please review. It only takes ten seconds. Thanks! :D

Disclaimer: The characters are not _mine_, the song is not _mine_, but the Fanfic is Mine.

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><p><em><strong>Mine<strong>_

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><p><em>You were in college workin' part time waitin' tables<br>__Left a small town, never looked back  
><em>_I was a flight risk with a fear of fallin'  
><em>_Wonerin' why we bothered with love if it never lasts_

_I say, "Can you believe it?"  
><em>_As we're lying on the couch  
><em>_The moment, I can see it  
><em>_Yes, yes I can see it now_

_Mine - Taylor Swift_

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><p>Lily Evans was bored and annoyed. That was never a good combination. She was bored because Mary and Alice both had dates today. Annoyed because she was dateless. After all, it was Valentine's day, and usually, she was being showered in lilies and rose petals. (James Potter was never very original) Generally, Lily got very annoyed when this happened, but for some unfathomable reason, this year she had almost looked forward to it. Yet, it was six in the afternoon, and there was nothing. Not one word all day. Ignoring the weight that seemed to be pressing on her heart, she figured it was all for the better. After all, it's not like she fancied him. She knew that school relationships never lasted. that's why she never went out with any guys. Why set herself up for heartbreak? Mary was always telling Lily that she needed to go out more, but Lily could care less. She usually enjoyed not doing much of anything, except for right then.<p>

Of course, the universe couldn't leave Lily Evans bored out of her mind, so it decided that someone needed to distract her. That distraction happened to come in the form of James Potter. He just waltzed into the common room, saw a bored Lily on the couch, and sat down next to her.

"James, what are you doing?" Lily asked, shooting him a weary glance.

"I'm not up to anything, Lily. You just looked bored, so I thought I'd cheer you up."

"Nothing could cheer me up right now. Especially not you," Lily sighed.

James looked over at her and then looked to the table in front of her, where she had tossed that morning's Daily Prophet after reading nothing but doom and gloom.

"So, what has been happening in the 'real world' lately?" James asked while opening up the Prophet.

"Another Death Eater attack," Lily said. "Can you believe it? Right outside of London. I thought, with the Ministry being so close, that they wouldn't dare try anywhere near London. Three wizards and twenty muggles killed. It's tragic."

"Wow. Twenty muggles? What's the death toll got to be at for the Ministry to declare this a war? Two thousand?" James asked, sounding angry. "But that's not what we should be talking about today."

"What so special about today?" Lily asked, forgetting that it was a _very _special day to James Potter.

"Lily! It's Valentine's Day! The best of holidays! Better than Christmas! Though-" He leaned in close, "If Sirius heard me say that, I'd be dead in ten seconds."

Lily chuckled, remembering the antics that Black liked to pull right before holiday break. That past Christmas, he had dressed up as an elf, causing a slight uproar when he snuck down to the kitchens later on.

"Yes, he does love Christmas, doesn't he?"

They talked for two hours, and Lily barely noticed that it was the nicest afternoon she had ever spent with anyone, never mind the fact that it was the longest, nicest conversation she had ever had with James Potter.

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><p>Review!<p> 


	2. Chorus One

AN: Second chapter! Thanks for reading! But it'd be really nice if you reviewed. Please don't just add it to your favorites or story alerts. It makes my day to read the reviews, so review, review, review! Thanks! Hope you like it. :D

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><p><em>Do you remember we were sittin' there by the water?<br>__You put your arm around me for the first time  
><em>_You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter  
><em>_You are the best thing that's ever been mine_

_Mine – Taylor Swift_

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><p>A few mornings later, Lily Evans found herself sitting by the Great Lake, looking out across the water with a tear-stained face. She wasn't sad, per say. Just... upset. She knew this letter had been a long time coming. She just hadn't expected it <em>now<em>. Not right before Tuney's wedding. Maybe she should have expected it, though. After all, this event would have meant increased stress, meaning more fighting.

The sound of footsteps coming closer was the only thing that broke her thoughts. Who would have followed the crying Lily Evans out of the Great Hall? All her friends were still-

"Lily?"

Oh. Him.

"What?" It came out colder than she meant it to, but she could care less at the moment. It didn't seem to bother him.

"You ran out during dinner crying. I figured someone ought to see if you were all right." The care in his voice nearly made her break down in tears again.

"I'm fine, James. Go back to dinner."

"Nah, I'm good." He sat down in the grass next to her, ignoring her protests of "I'm fine! Leave me alone!" and hooked an arm around her shoulder. She was exhausted from crying and running, that's why she moved in closer. She knew he was smirking, but she ignored it.

"Want to tell me what it said?" he asked, surprising Lily but how sincere he sounded. He caught her off-guard, that's why she was spilling her heart out.

"My parents are getting divorced. I'm not sad really. Just... relieved. Surprised. Not because I didn't expect it. Just that I didn't expect it now."

"What's so special about now?" he asked, curiosity seeping through.

"My sister is getting married in a few months. June, in fact. I expect it was the tension of the wedding that finally pushed them over the edge. After all, my mother thinks Vernon's horrid. My father thinks that he makes the sun rise every day. Rather, he thinks Vernon keeps the economy running. He is a business man, after all," she said, hiccuping between sentences.

"What do you think of him?"

She hesitated. "I think that Petunia deserves him. He's perfectly normal, and he fits the life that she's created for herself."

He was quiet for a minute, and Lily thought that he was going to do what she expected him to do, stand up and walk away, because he finally saw some of her flaws. She had an imperfect family, and she could do nothing to change that.

"Well, you know what I think you need?"

"What?" she asked, nervously. She knew that tone of voice.

"A trip to the kitchens. Everyone deserves chocolate cake, now and then," he said, smiling.

"But James, we're not allowed in the kitchens. And besides. It's nearly past curfew, anyway," she added, checking her watch. "We'd never make it there and back in time."

"Call in an adventure, and it doesn't seem so... against the rules," he said, now full-on grinning.

"Fine. But this is the one and only time. It's only because I'm dying for some chocolate cake," she said, seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Whatever you say, Lils."

"Don't call me that."

Even though they broke about ten school rules while getting that piece of cake, she had fun. It took her mind off of things for a while. She realised that even though James had thousands of questions running through his head, he had kept them all in because he knew it would upset her. The whole night, the topic of her family never came up again. That night, something inside of her changed. She couldn't tell whether or not it was for the better, but either way, when he asked her out two weeks later, she spoke the word that he had been craving since fifth year.

"Yes."

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><p>Reviews are appreciated!<p> 


	3. Verse Two

AN: Thanks for the reviews! They're awesome! Also, please check out some of my other stories. I'd really like to hear what you have to say. :D

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><p><em>Flash forward and we're takin' on the world together<br>__And there's a drawer of my things at your place  
><em>_You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded  
><em>_You say we'll never make my parent's mistakes_

_But we've got bills to pay  
><em>_We've got nothin' figured out  
><em>_When it was hard to take  
><em>_Yes, Yes, this is what I thought about_

_Mine – Taylor Swift_

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><p>Half a year went by in no time at all for Lily Evans. She graduated Hogwarts, went to her sister's wedding, moved into her own London flat, and gotten a job in the order of the Phoenix, all with James by her side. Although they had been dating for six months and she had taken him to the wedding, so he had met her parents, they had never had a serious talk about the relationship. She practically lived in his flat, she even had a drawer in his dresser that was full of her clothes, but she still thought that it was temporary. She knew that he loved her and that she… Well, she really liked him, but she knew there was no such thing as love. Her parents proved that time and time again. So, while this was the closest she had ever felt to in <em>love <em>with someone, she knew it wouldn't last. And besides, he had never _told _ her he loved her, so how much could he actually love her?

One night, she was at James's after an Order meeting, and they were just sitting, talking about nothing in particular, when James asked her if she wanted to go somewhere for the night.

"You know, somewhere different. Just to get away for a while."

Lily turned it over in her mind, and realised that that would be just what she needed - to relax for a little while. A little bit of quiet time with James.

"Sure, James. Why not? Where should we go?"

"Why don't I make it a surprise?"

"Alright," she said, hesitating. James's "surprises" always turned out to be either amazing, or exactly the opposite. Lily liked to say that a night with James was never boring.

Lily took the hand he had stretched out to her, and he took her out the door, down the stairs to the lobby of the building and around the corner to an Apparition point. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the squeezing feeling. When it was over, she opened her eyes and she looked around. James had taken her to a small park with a lake. She could just make out bright lights on the other side and she realised they must be coming from a big city.

"Where are we, James?" she asked.

"A place I used to visit with my mum and dad. Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, looking around. "A bit different than I remembered. Those flowers are new," he noticed, pointing towards a group of daisies.

"It's amazing. Sort of reminds me of a garden we used to have at home," Lily said, looking at her feet. She had worn sandals, not realising that she would be anywhere where there might be bugs.

"You want to sit down?"

She nodded, and followed him towards a bench nearby. He sat down and put his arm around her, like he always did. They were quiet for a moment, until James pulled his arm back and looked Lily in the eye.

"You know what I've come to realise? I haven't told you something very important yet, and it's been on my mind quite a bit these last few days, what with the rise in Death Eater attacks and the possibility that one or both of us might end up dead any day. So, I need to say this, because I can't fathom the thought of one of us dying and you not knowing. Lily, I need you to know that I'm in love with you, and I have been for quite a while." He paused, and let out a big breath. "There. It's said."

Lily didn't know what to say. So, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"That's not possible."

James, who was settling back into the bench, sat up again to look at Lily.

"What do you mean, 'That's not possible'? I think I know what I feel," he said, getting defensive.

"No, I mean, you think you love me, but you-"

"No, Lily, I know I love you."

"James, let me finish. You can't know you love me because love doesn't exist!" She said the last part not realising that he had no idea that she didn't believe in love.

"What do you mean, 'love doesn't exist'? Of course it does! It has to! If there isn't love, then there's no hope that this war will ever end! Why would you even say that?" He asked, almost furious.

"Because if there was such a thing as love then my parents would still be together! If there was love, then my sister wouldn't hate me! If there was love, then Death Eaters wouldn't be able to be causing so much destruction! I'm sorry, James, but there can't be love, because if there was love, Unforgivable Curses would never have been invented. I don't believe that love exists because there's too much proof that it doesn't," she said, sighing.

James sat in stunned silence. Lily thought that he would never understand her, so she got up to leave.

"Lily."

"What?" She turned to face him.

"Lily, can open your eyes, please?"

She paused. "James, they are open."

"The why can't you see what's staring you in the face? Sure, your parents never found true love. But that doesn't mean that there's no such thing. What we have, what we'll always have, that's true love. Because true love is never giving up, even when chances are slim. True love is fighting when it seems like there's no end in sight. True love is what is staring you in the face, Lily. And that's something that I won't quit fighting for. Not even if you don't believe it's real. I swear that one day, I'll show you that we won't make your parent's mistakes because we've got true love, Lily, and that's forever."

It was Lily's turn to stand in stunned silence. She tried to sort through her thoughts, but gave up and ran to James instead, kissing him long and hard.

"Thank you," she said, after breaking the kiss.

"For what?" he asked breathlessly.

"I'm not sure, yet. Just thank you," she said, smiling. Then, she leaned down and kissed him again, thinking only of true love.

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><p>Review, please! Please don't favorite without reviewing. It only takes a few seconds. And it makes my day. :D<p> 


	4. Chorus Two

AN: Chorus Two! Thanks for reading! The next chapter is intense. I'm almost done with it, and so I'll probably post it sometime soon.

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><p><em>Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?<br>__You put your arm around me for the first time  
><em>_You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter  
><em>_You are the best thing that's ever been mine_

_Do you remember all the city lights in the water?  
><em>_You saw me start to believe for the first time  
><em>_You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter  
><em>_You are the beat thing that's ever been mine_

_Mine – Taylor Swift_

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><p>After the escapade on the bench, Lily let James lead her around the gardens. He showed her all of the places that he knew and remembered. Eventually, they made their way to the lakeside. Lily sat down next to James, thinking about what he had said to her. She knew that he was right, and that her parents never really did have true love, but Lily still wasn't sure that she believed that there was such a thing. She did know one thing, though. Something James said had gotten to her, because she did feel different. Something had changed again, and this time she had a funny feeling that it was for the better.<p>

They sat down on the sand and James looked out towards the water.

"Isn't it beautiful? All those lights? Almost like a show," he said quietly.

"Yeah, it is," she replied.

"Almost as beautiful as you," he said with a grin.

She grinned right back. "That was too cheesy, even for you, James."

"Nothing is ever too cheesy for James Potter, love."

She raised her eyebrows at the name. She was surprised that the name didn't actually bother her. In fact, she sort of liked it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked him, after a few moments.

"Like what?"

"Like… Like… Like you know something I don't," she replied.

"Well, that's simple. It's because I do."

"What is it? What on earth do you think you know that I don't?" she said, smiling at his antics. She was quite sure that they told each other everything.

"Well, Lily, I know how you feel. About me. I can see it in your eyes. Just now, you looked at me, and I realised that you love me. You don't need to say it. I just know that you do. I guess my little speech on true love worked, huh?" he said, with a smugness that only he could pull off.

Lily wondered what exactly he meant by his speech "working," but then she remembered that he had promised to never stop trying to prove to her that they had true love. She turned it over in her mind a few times and realised that he was right.

"Hey, James?"

"Yes, Lily?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

"I love you."

Lily saw the joy in his eyes as she said the three words he had been waiting to hear. He slowly leaned closer to her, and when he was about an inch away from her lips, he whispered, so softly that she strained to hear him, "I love you, too, Lily." With that, he leaned forward and kissed her.

When they came up for air, James looked her in the eye and said, "Marry me, Lily, because I want to spend the rest of my life with you, however long or short it may be."

Again, she said the one word that James loved most.

"Yes."

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><p>Review, please!<p> 


	5. Bridge

AN: I'm super-proud of this chapter. It's my favorite one yet. :D

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><p><em>And I remember that fight, two thirty a.m.<br>__You said everything was slippin' right out of our hands  
><em>_I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street_

_Braced myself for the goodbye  
><em>_Cause that's all I've ever known  
><em>_And you took me by surprise  
><em>_You said, "I'll never leave you alone."_

_Mine – Taylor Swift_

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><p>After James proposed and they had gotten a ring for her, Lily moved in with him. She had practically lived there before, but now she had all of her things in his flat and she had sold her own. They had both come home from an Order meeting one night, when a silver cat appeared in the middle of their living room. Out of it came McGonagall's voice.<p>

"There is an attack going on in Canterbury. The Order needs your help. Come quickly."

As it disappeared, Lily turned to look at James. She saw in his eyes the same things she felt: fear, shock, and the desperate need to go and help. As they both stood to go downstairs to the Apparition point, Lily turned to James, kissed him with all her might, and said, "Stay careful."

They both apparated at the same time, but appeared in different spots. When Lily reached the battlefield, she couldn't see James anywhere. All around her, Lily heard cries and shouts of spells being cast. She ducked as a couple of loose spells came her way, and ran behind a nearby building to get some cover so that she could get a grip on what was happening.

As she peered around the corner of what looked to be an apartment building, she saw flashing lights coming from everywhere as spells were being shot in rapid fire. She saw seven or eight Death Eaters attacking about five Order members. Some were being backed into the building. To her right, more Death Eaters were appearing. She could hear the distinct laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange coming from behind the hood of the Death Eater who was dueling Mary MacDonald. It pained Lily to stand by and watch, but she knew she would be of more help in other places. Besides, Mary was excellent with spells, hexes and curses.

To the left of the building Lily was hiding behind, there came a loud cracking noise. Lily craned her head around the building a bit more, and dread started to pool in her stomach.

_Bloody hell. He's here. _

_Voldemort._

She first saw the pale white hands that curled and seemed to make his wand an extension of his hand. As the rest of him came into view, she ducked behind the building. Taking a few heavy, deep breaths to calm herself, she tried to come up with a plan that would help to get all of the Order members out of there safely. She kept drawing up blank. Eventually, she realised that if she didn't move soon, the advancing Death Eaters would curse her to bits. Readying herself for what she was about to do, she moved out from behind the building, only to find herself four feet away from Voldemort himself.

"Well. If it isn't the little Mudblood herself. I've heard a great deal about you, but I'm sure you knew that, knowing Severus as you have," he hissed.

Lily just glared and kept quiet, knowing that the moment was not yet ready for striking.

"Nothing to say, you filthy excuse for a witch? I'm surprised. I thought you redheads all had nasty tempers," he said, with a sneer.

"Well, I suppose you heard wrong, then," she said, as calmly as she could manage.

"Why don't we try seeing how far that patience can go? _Crucio!_" He hissed the last part so that it was almost inaudible, but Lily still heard it. There was a moment of terror as she realised what was happening, and then it was pure agony. It was a hundred knives cutting open her chest. It was the pain of being dragged through the streets of London by a car. It was a thousand times more painful than breaking all of the bones in her body. There was no way to describe the unendurable agony that the curse put her through.

It went on for what felt like an eternity. Distantly, she heard shouts coming from behind her, but she couldn't make out voices. When the pain ceased, she realised that she had fallen to the ground. When that thought passed, she blacked out.

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><p>"Lily? Lily, please, wake up."<p>

She opened her eyes to the sight of Remus Lupin standing over her with a worried expression on his marred face.

"Remus? Where's James? What happ- ohh," she moaned. She had tried to sit up, but her pounding head made her lay back down. She waited for it to pass, then slowly sat up. "What happened?"

"Lily, there's not much to explain. We don't know what happened, but one second, you were being tortured, and the next, James was coming to your rescue. Voldemort tried to use some curse, we're not sure which, and then he vanished. Dumbledore thinks he's… well, Dumbledore won't say much on the subject. All I know is that it's been over a half hour and there's been neither hide nor hair of James anywhere. A building just next door came crashing down as the Death Eaters were leaving, and we think… well, we think-"

"No," she whispered, getting louder with each word, "No, no, no, no, no! No!" She stood up as the last word was screamed for the world to hear. "Remus, he can't be dead. He just can't!"

She broke down into sobs. The agony of her heart breaking was worse than any Cruciatus Curse. She felt empty, broken, and completely alone. There was no comfort, no silver lining that she could see to make herself feel better. The only thought running through her mind was that he promised. He promised that he'd never leave her. He promised her that this heartbreak would never pain her.

"Lily, I-" Remus started, putting his hand on her shoulder.

She pulled herself free and ran out of the building into the street. She knew that love never lasted. She should have saved herself this heartbreak and stayed away from day one, like she tried to.

She could hear people behind her, running after her, trying to bring her back into the abandoned apartment building where it was safe, but she didn't want to feel safe. She'd never feel safe again. The only time she ever felt safe was in James's arms. But now, he was gone. She knew she had to let him go if she was ever going to pull herself together. She tried to push the memories away, but they flooded her mind.

As she ran, she tried to wipe the tears that were flowing freely down her face. She wasn't paying much attention to the ground, so she wound up tripping over a stray piece of the building, and fell to her knees.

"Why, James? You promised! Why would you leave me like this? Why?" The end of her shout was a choked sob. She didn't understand how he could do this to her.

"Lily."

Her heart leapt into her throat. It was his voice- But it couldn't be. Slowly, she stood and turned around.

It was.

"_James._"

She realised that the footsteps she had heard the entire time were _his_. Not Remus's, or the others, like she'd thought. She was just too encased in grief to hear him calling.

As soon as she saw him, she sprinted over and hugged him with every last bit of energy she had. She pulled back a little bit so that she could look up at him.

They locked eyes, and he said, "I'll never leave you alone. Ever." With that, he kissed her. Then, she understood. Their love was too great and too important to be separated by something like death. She'd never lose him, just like he'd never lose her.

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><p>Thanks for reading! Don't favorite without reviewing! Next chapter will be up soon!<p> 


	6. Chorus Three

AN: I really like how this chapter came out. Review, please!

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><p><em>You said, "I remember how we felt sittin' by the water,<br>__And every time I look at you it's like the first time.  
><em>_I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter.  
><em>_You are the best thing that's ever been mine."_

_Mine – Taylor Swift_

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><p>As he let her go, all of the questions came tumbling out of her mouth at once.<p>

"What happened? Where were you? How did you escape him? What did he do to you? Why does Remus think you're dead? How-"

"Whoah! Lily, one at a time! You want to know what happened?"

She nodded.

"Well, I was dueling a few Death Eaters when I saw Voldemort standing over you, holding his wand to your head. I, of course, ran over to try and distract him, and then saw you writhing on the ground. Lily, did he use Crucio on you?"

"Yes, but that's not important right now. What happened next? Was it you that I heard before I fell unconscious?"

"I'd imagine so. I came over and taunted him a bit. He tried to use the Imperius Curse on me, but I managed to throw it off. Anyway-"

"Wait, you threw off _Voldemort's _Imperius Curse?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, not that hard, actually. Anyway, as I threw it off, he must have gotten a signal from one of his followers that the mission was completed, or something, because as soon as I had my head back, he Disapparated, along with the rest of the Death Eaters. I saw a Death Eater that stayed behind, hanging 'round that building that blew up, and I decided that I could at least try to lessen the other side by one member. I walked a bit closer, which Remus must have seen me doing, but when the bloke saw me, he set a flame and Disapparated. I figured the building would blow soon, because the fire was near the engine room, so I bolted as fast as I could. I then remembered that I was a wizard, and Disapparated a few blocks away, until I heard the explosion. Then, I came back. And, here we are," he finished, with a half-wave between himself and Lily.

As he finished his story, the rest of the Order, at least, those that had come to help, made their way outside to Lily and James. They all gave shouts of surprise upon seeing James, and then calmed down as they tried to figure out what had happened. They all wound up separating into groups to try to repair some of the damage and do some cleanup.

James and Lily went down a side street as the rest went off in different directions. They started to put bricks back together and into the pavement. Lily shivered in the cool night air. It seemed to be getting colder by the minute.

Actually, Lily noticed, it was getting colder by the second. A mist that seemed completely unnatural started to settle. Lily cottoned on very quickly.

"James. Turn around."

He did, albeit slowly. She saw the realisation spread on his face.

"Dementors," he said quietly. Lily saw him close his eyes as the darkness started to cumulate around her. She heard her sister screaming through a closed door to leave her alone, but she heard it distantly. She felt the fear and pain of the Cruciatus Curse start to build in the pits of her stomach, but she could still see James's face. He was concentrating on something, and Lily knew that there was a way to protect herself from the oncoming legion of Dementors, but she couldn't remember how. All she could think of was the disappointed and disdained look that her sister gave her the last time Lily saw her. She could feel the Dementors start to use their power to drain Lily of all happiness. Lily felt the misery start to take over her. She felt like she was going to drown in it.

All of a sudden, there was a burst of light. James had cast his Patronus. It was fully corporeal and very strong. Lily watched the silver stag canter down the block and chase away all of the oncoming Dementors from the area. Slowly, in amazement, she turned to James.

"How on earth did you perform such a powerful Patronus?" she asked, astonished that he managed to rid the area of all the Dementors.

"Simple, really. I just thought about you and me. That night, in the garden, when I proposed and you said yes. When you told me you loved me. When you first said that you'd go out with me. When you opened your heart to me. When you trusted me when I told you that love did exist. Those memories are the strongest, happiest memories of my life, and they all have you in them. See? I told you love was real," he said, with a slightly smug expression.

She stood wonderstruck for a moment. Then, she simply said, "James Potter, I really do love you."

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><p>Please, don't favorite unless you review! :D<p> 


	7. The End

AN: Here it is, the last chapter. Before I started writing it, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a wedding scene or her death, so I went with both. I hope you like it! Please, don't favorite unless you review. Thanks!

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><p><em>You are the best thing that's ever been mine<br>_

_Do you believe it?  
><em>_We're gonna make it now  
><em>_And I can see it  
><em>_Yes, yes, I can see it now_

_Mine – Taylor Swift_

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><p>Lily Evans stood in front of a mirror, examining her dress and hair. She wasn't a vain person, but every bride needed to look her best. And today, she was marrying James Potter.<p>

It may not have been the wedding she dreamed of as a little girl, but there was a war going on. All that mattered to her now was the groom. As long as she married James, she had her dream wedding. She knew how cheesy that was, and that every bride thought that on her wedding day, but she also knew that it was absolutely true.

"Lily?"

Lily turned to see Remus poking his head in the door. She motioned him to come in.

"Your mum said it was time to come and walk down the aisle," Remus said, looking cheerful. "James is waiting."

"Thanks, Remus. Are you ready?"

Lily had no immediate male relatives to walk her down the aisle, and her father hadn't been seen in over a year, so she had asked Remus to do the honors.

Remus took her arm and led her through the house to the backyard.

"So, were there any more issues with my sister?" Lily asked, wondering how stressed her mother would be when she saw her.

"No. The only one was the scene you witnessed. Your mother talked to her. She seemed to have calmed down after that. What was all the screaming about, anyway?" Remus asked, curious as to why her sister, a grown woman, had thrown a tantrum in the middle of the backyard early that morning,

"My sister hates magic and anything to do with it. I don't think that my mother told her that it would be a wizarding ceremony. She sort of lost it."

"Why did she come if she hates magic so much?"

"My mother told her that since I put up with the craziness that went with her wedding, then she had to come to mine, like it or not. I'm just glad that she didn't bring her God-awful husband. He looks like a whale. He would have ruined all of the pictures," Lily said, almost whining.

"Well, she didn't bring him, so there's nothing to worry about," Remus said soothingly, and with half a smile, as they reached the back of the procession line.

Music started up as her bridesmaids walked down the aisle, followed by Alice, her Maid of Honor, and, finally, Lily and Remus. As Lily walked down the aisle, she locked eyes with James. She saw their entire relationship flash before her eyes. It started with the first train ride, then the public fights in Hogwarts halls, then becoming friends, dating, moving in, getting engaged, saying "I love you," that fight when she thought he was dead, then him protecting her from Dementors. Everything she saw reminded her of why she was there. When she finally got up to the front, she took James's hand, and kept her gaze on him the entire ceremony. Only when the wizard officiating said, "I declare you bonded for life!" did she finally break the gaze, and it was to share their first kiss as husband and wife.

* * *

><p>A little over a year later, James and Lily were still very much in love, and in hiding. Harry had been born and Dumbledore had told them of the prophecy and what it meant for their son. Lily had cried herself to sleep in James's arms that night. Eventually, they learned to live with it, as they always did. They decided to take each day as it comes, and deal with whatever came their way. This night was no different.<p>

James and Lily had just switched their Secret Keeper to Peter that day. Lily had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to push it away. Like Sirius said, Peter would be their last suspect.

Lily and James had planned a stress-free night, so after dinner, instead of cleaning the kitchen up, like they should have done, they sat in the living room and relaxed. After all, Lily thought, the kitchen could be cleaned tomorrow.

Lily watched as James made Harry giggle and laugh with little clouds of colored smoke. As it changed from purple to blue to yellow, Lily's mind began to dig up all of the reasons why they should be worried. Why they'd be unsafe.

As the panic started to bubble up, she tried to think of other things to put her mind to rest. So, she did what she usually did when she was stressed. She worked. She went into the kitchen to clean the dishes that were in the sink. When that was done, she looked at the time and realised that it was way past Harry's bedtime. She went back into the living room and saw that James was still playing with Harry, making different colored smoke appear in the room.

"It is way past your bedtime, mister," she said as she walked over towards Harry and James. James stood and stretched, and Lily turned to take Harry upstairs when they heard the door open.

The panic started to bubble to the surface as James looked at Lily. He turned and ran down the hallway to check and see who had come into the house. From down the hall, she heard James yell, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

The panic took over as she heard the last few words. She could see his wand lying on the couch, and she had left hers in their bedroom. They were defenseless and powerless. They would never make it out alive. Her only hope was that Harry would survive.

Lily heeded her husband and ran up the stars, but before she made it to the nursery, she saw a flash of green light. There was a tugging in her chest and she knew that her husband had fallen. There was no way that she would live now.

As she ran upstairs, her life flashed before her eyes. She could see herself getting her Hogwarts letter, meeting Sev, meeting Potter, passing her OWLs with flying colors, seeing Snape for who he was, seeing James for who he was, dating James, falling in love, getting engaged, getting married, having Harry, and going into hiding. She saw all of these things in about a minute.

She had finally reached the nursery, and she put Harry in his crib. She could hear footsteps getting closer, so she did the only thing she could think of. She began pushing all of the boxes in the room to barricade the door. As she heard the footsteps reach the door, she moved backwards and picked up Harry.

She looked at her son, who resembled his father almost exactly, except for his eyes. They were bright green, just like hers. She thought of James as she looked at Harry, and she felt her heart break again. James was dead, and she couldn't do anything to bring him back. But, she knew that she would never survive what was coming, and she believed with all her heart and soul that she and James would be together, even after death, because their love lasted forever, just like James had said.

The door burst open and she dropped Harry into his crib and turned to look into the leering face of the darkest wizard to ever live. She knew that he would be the last thing that she ever saw. She mentally prepared herself for the curse, and threw her arms out wide to protect Harry from getting hit.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please, not Harry!" she cried, desperately.

"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now."

Lily was surprised that he didn't just kill her then. "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-," she begged.

"This is my last warning-,"

The fact that he still hadn't killed her made her plead with him even more. "Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy…. Not Harry! Not Harry! Please- I'll do anything-,"

"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"

She saw the anger in his eyes and she knew that it was over. She saw his wand raise and point towards her. Time seemed to slow down. Her last thought before she saw the green light was a prayer that Harry would be safe. Then, there was a flash of green, and she was gone.

* * *

><p>It's complete! Hope you liked it! Reviews are totally awesome!<p> 


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